A Glimpse of Girl Power

I’ve been really hungry for real women in entertainment. Tonight I got a big helping.

Gwen Stefani took the stage on American Idol (of all places) to sing with her old band, No Doubt. They did a classic number, “Just a girl,” and she rocked. It was as if the whole solo career, hip-hop, Harajuku moment never happened. We were treated to unadulterated Gwen, ska Gwen, punk Gwen and it was…awesome.

It was stripped down. She looked hot, the band was tight, and there were no gimmicks. She was having fun, playing with the audience, flirting, running through the crowd, hamming it up…it was a direct contrast to the preceding number, a lip sync by a surgically enhanced, electronically enhanced, Paula Abdul. For me, the contrast just emphasized what we’ve been missing: real female rock gods.

Gwen’s performance took me back to the early 1990s, a time before Britney Spears, before Disney released their “Minnie”ions on the world. It was a big time for chicks who happened to be absurdly gutsy, talented, or both. Most of the time they were also really hot, but almost as an afterthought. They were called Riot Grrrls. They played in bands like Hole, Bikini Kill, Luscious Jackson, and Sonic Youth. They played live without hair and make-up. They were pioneers.

The other night I saw an obscure 5-minute film from 1994 by Tamra Davis called “No Alternative Girls.” The film was grainy footage of interviews with some of the female icons of the era. I left the theater craving more and mourning the loss of a dark, deviant, and free, form of female sexuality that just doesn’t exist in today’s candy-coated entertainment industry. Gwen gave me more tonight.

It’s probably optimistic to think this one performance heralds a return of the bad ass chick, but I hope at least few of the 64 million viewers of American Idol tonight, 63 million of whom are probably female tweens and teens, got an eyeful and earful of something real. Gwen may have sung “Just a girl,” but she came across as all woman.